Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Building and scaling a modernization strategy (ENT214)

Summary

Ryan Peterson, the worldwide technical leader for modernization at AWS, shared his experience with modernization and its critical impact, including a life-saving incident involving a student.
The session focused on the importance of modernization, the challenges organizations face, and the strategies to overcome them.
Ryan emphasized the need for agility and the ability to innovate quickly, highlighting the constraints of traditional IT where 80% of developers' time is spent on operations and maintenance.
He introduced the three pillars of modernization: People, Processes, and Technology, and stressed the importance of each.
Ryan discussed the concept of two-pizza teams at Amazon, which are small, autonomous groups responsible for their services.
He outlined the six steps to scale modernization across an organization, including forming a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE), delivering strategic lighthouse applications, and establishing clear vision and support from leadership.
Ali East from Baker Tilly shared their modernization journey, highlighting the organizational and technological benefits they experienced, including winning a significant contract due to their new capabilities.

Modernization is not just about technology but also involves cultural and organizational change.
The story of the student's life being saved underscores the real-world impact and urgency of modernization efforts.
The 80/20 split of developer time on maintenance versus innovation is a significant barrier to organizational agility and growth.
The concept of two-pizza teams aligns with Conway's Law, suggesting that organizational structure influences software architecture.
The six steps to scaling modernization provide a structured approach for organizations to follow, emphasizing the importance of leadership support and community building.
Baker Tilly's success story serves as a practical example of the benefits of modernization, including increased speed of deployment, innovation, security, and cost savings.
The Experience-Based Acceleration (EBA) initiative by AWS is an effective catalyst for modernization, as demonstrated by Baker Tilly's experience.